The Kitchen House

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One of the novel’s themes is history repeating itself. Another theme is isolation. Select scenes from The Kitchen House that depict each theme and discuss. Are there scenes in which the two themes intersect? I’m four,” said Sally, “how old are you?” She tapped the air with her blue shoes and peeked out at me from under the flopping brim of a white bonnet.

Another bright facet is the writing itself. I could feel the heartbeat of this story through the writing, and that is a rare gift for this reader. The pace was crisp throughout; there were no lags and not one moment where I did not feel I was breathing the same air and feeling the same hot sun as the characters in this book.

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The Kitchen House is a historical fiction novel by Kathleen Grissom. It’s set on the southern Virginia plantation of Captain James Pyke during 1791, and it follows two main characters: Lavinia, an orphaned Irish girl who becomes an indentured servant, and Belle, the daughter of James and his slave. The book switches between first-person narratives from both Lavinia and Belle over 55 chapters. The novel begins with a young girl whose parents are trying to come to America, but they die on the ship. James agrees to let her live in his house as an indentured servant because he needs someone who can take care of him when he gets older. She is put into the kitchen house since she has no money or family members left. Belle watches over Lavinia and eventually becomes like a mother figure for her, forming an unbreakable bond between them.

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Prologue: “1810/Lavinia”

Evenin’, Dory.” The man’s voice was so deep, he might have been underground, and when he paused by baby Henry’s mama, his large hand covered the top of her head. “How your lil one doin’?”

Orphaned during her passage from Ireland, young, white Lavinia arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed, as an indentured servant, under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate slave daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, and serve food, while guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family. Mrs. Pyke. Prepare yourself,” he shouted, and bounded over the threshold. Inside, he continued to shatter the peace. “Where is everyone?” I heard him call. “I’m home!”Come, come,” the captain interrupted, and again waved me forward. Closer to him, I focused on the deep lines that creased his weathered face when he smiled. “Are you helping in the kitchen?” he asked.

At times in the novel, you can almost smell the hearty foods being prepared by Mama and others. In your research, did you find any specific notes or recipes from kitchen houses that you can share with your readers? The three adults pulled up small stools to the table, and Fanny and Beattie had me stand between them as they began to eat. But everything felt strange, and I wanted the familiarity of the kitchen house. With no appetite, I studied the food, and when Mama instructed me to eat, I began to cry.What wonderful escapism this novel was and a reminder what great joy books bring to readers now more than ever. No, but you was ’bout the same age, maybe six, seven years at the time. And you was born and raised here, and you still carried on,” Mama Mae scolded. I meant by that that you know a woman could have had a great live, if not for a stupid misunderstanding. Like in the cheap harlequin?romance books (here in The Netherlands they were (are?) called bouquet reeks. I now discover that indeed the publisher is harlequin where they never understand each other and because of that make dumb decisions and when they finally get together they tell each other they loved each other from the start.